Taiwan receives first visiting US House Speaker in 25 years

Pelosi was received by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as she landed at Taipei Songshan Airport at around 10.44 pm local time (1444GMT), Anadolu Agency reported.

Two hotels have been booked to host the accompanying delegation of US lawmakers and officials.

This comes as Beijing ratcheted up its messages urging the senior US lawmaker to abandon her trip, which was not on the official agenda of Pelosi's four-nation Asia tour.

Pelosi visited Singapore on Monday, before continuing on to Malaysia. She is scheduled to also visit South Korea and Japan.

Pelosi, the first speaker of the US House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in 25 years, will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and also engage with Taiwanese lawmakers.

In 1997, Republican Newt Gingrich was the last House speaker to visit the self-ruled island, which has insisted on its independence since 1949.

Taiwanese officials had remained silent on Pelosi's trip, over which Beijing has raised alarm. China considers Taiwan its "breakaway province."

Beijing has warned that its military "won't sit by idly" if its "sovereignty and territorial integrity" are threatened. It added that Washington would bear responsibility for any countermeasures China takes against Pelosi's visit.

It launched several military drills near Taiwan since speculations on the visit emerged.

Last week, China's President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden "not to play with fire" over Taiwan.